Chapter 1206
A thick, heavy quietude descended upon the swarming marketplace following the challenge issued by Raon.
"H-he's lost his mind..."
Charlie stood speechless, his eyes fixed on Raon, who had finally ignited a disaster.
"What is he thinking, acting this way!"
He squeezed his head in his hands and wailed that their lives were over, already convinced that his fate was inextricably linked to Raon's.
"What?"
"Kahahahahaha!"
"A truly deranged amateur has walked through the gates."
"Is he not the most lunacy-driven mortal since the creation of Heaven?"
"I'm a fan. We thrive on idiots like this to keep things interesting!"
The onlookers, shaken back to reality by Charlie's outburst, glared at Raon and snorted with mockery. A few offered twisted praise, admiring his audacity, but the vast majority smirked as they envisioned the grisly end awaiting the newcomer.
-That is exactly what this king proclaims every single day.
Wrath let out a low chuckle as he took in the crowd's insults.
-It appears your destiny is to be labeled a madman regardless of your coordinates.
He gave a slow, knowing nod, concluding that the flaw lay not with himself, but with Raon's fundamental nature.
"Charlie! What kind of nonsense did you feed the rookie?"
"If he's looking for a grave, he should dig it himself instead of dragging the kid down with him."
"Thinking about it, that Charlie fellow is the most malicious of the lot, isn't he?"
"Exactly! What kind of poison did he whisper to trigger such behavior!"
The mob in the marketplace seemed convinced that Charlie was manipulating Raon, their expressions curling in distaste.
"I-I didn't do a thing!"
Charlie pumped both hands in the air, frantic to deny the accusations.
"He was like this from the very start!"
His face flushed a deep crimson as he screamed that Raon's inner drive was terrifyingly potent.
"How much power could a rookie who just stepped in yesterday possibly possess?"
"True. How much bite can a mutt have when it's only ever eaten the scraps its master provided!"
"Charlie had his entire stockpile of desire plundered just days ago; he must have finally snapped."
The inhabitants of Heaven naturally dismissed Charlie’s frantic claims, choosing instead to focus their energy on belittling him.
"Blast it all! I’m telling you the kid thrashed me!"
Charlie ground his teeth together, gesturing wildly toward his pair of bruised, blackened eyes.
"Ah, the rookie laid you out? Now it all makes sense!"
"Since it’s Charlie we’re talking about, getting whipped by a newcomer is par for the course."
"Precisely. Charlie only draws breath because the laws of Heaven prohibit homicide."
“Hey, novice! Charlie is the bottom of the barrel in Heaven! You’d better bolt while your legs still work!”
The crowd concluded that Charlie’s defeat was merely a testament to his own incompetence, launching even harsher insults and derision.
"Haaaam."
Raon let out a massive, theatrical yawn, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Is this place populated only by yellow-bellies? Cease the wagging of your tongues and face me in a duel to the death, won't you?"
He snapped his finger in a taunting gesture toward the people who had been badgering Charlie.
"What...?"
"The boy is genuinely psychotic, isn't he?"
"Can he still not grasp the gravity of the room? He won't survive the hour."
"He'll only find his wits once his bones are being crushed."
The denizens of Heaven scowled fiercely at Raon's unwavering arrogance. Now, every eye was locked onto Raon, and Charlie was forgotten.
"Forget it. If none of you will step up, I'm moving on."
Raon retrieved the sack of gold coins from the dirt and tossed it over his shoulder. As he began to walk away with a sneering grin, an elderly man blocked his path. His spine was bent, making him appear diminutive, though his garments and jewelry suggested significant wealth.
"Very well. I shall personally handle this pup."
The stooped old man licked his parched lips and began rubbing his palms together in a fly-like motion.
-Ahh...
Wrath let out a weary sigh at the sight of the hunched elder.
-Yet another victim has stumbled into the trap of this maniac.
He shook his head, the old man’s impending doom appearing as a foregone conclusion.
"You want a turn?"
Raon peered down at the elder, a crooked smirk playing on his face.
"When you lose every scrap of what you've earned in your twilight years, your joints are going to throb quite painfully, aren't they?"
He threw out one last jab, tilting his head back to ensure the hunched elder felt trapped by the challenge.
"You are truly a brat who will only learn his lesson in the afterlife."
The stooped man's brow furrowed, and he opened his palms wide. Every trace of his earlier mirth had vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp fury.
"That crazy..."
Charlie stood agape, staring at the elder.
"That old man is Pisir! He's a notorious heavy-hitter in this lower sector!"
He grabbed Raon’s sleeve, tugging at it and pleading for him to offer an immediate apology.
"An apology? Do you honestly believe I'd accept such a thing now?"
The man called Pisir slammed his foot down with violent force.
"I’ll seize your desire as well for failing to discipline the newcomer!"
He gnashed his teeth, looking ready to strip Charlie of his very essence alongside Raon’s.
"Give it your best shot."
Raon maintained a ghost of a smile even while facing the incensed Pisir.
"Let's see if this old-timer's bite lives up to his bark."
He raised a finger in a gesture of pure condescension, indicating he would face whatever the man threw at him.
"You insolent whelp!"
Pisir snarled and stepped toward Raon. A dark, vaporous aura billowed from his back, coiling around Raon like a shroud.
"Accept it! Here is the duel to the death you were begging for!"
Pisir let out a scoff, noting that the lethal contest would only commence once Raon integrated the mist he had unleashed.
"I am aware."
Raon allowed the fog released by Pisir to wash over him, never losing his cool. The obsidian energy seeped through his skin, exerting a faint, prickly pressure on his spirit. This served as the confirmation that he had consented to the duel to the death.
'Is it poking at my cravings?'
The dark mist didn't target his soul directly; rather, it sought out the raw, fundamental desires buried deep within. His burning urge to slaughter Derus began to flare like a revived flame.
'Not yet.'
Raon activated the Ring of Fire, clamping down on the murderous intent that threatened to boil over.
'A single slip, and I'll be exposed.'
His obsession with killing Derus was so colossal and fervent that if he allowed it to manifest here, the Archangels' barrier might detect his true nature. This was a moment for absolute restraint.
"Ha!"
Pisir barked out a cynical laugh, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
"A child who cannot even master his own impulses dares to stand tall!"
His eyes turned predatory, convinced that Raon was a fragile amateur who lacked the skill to even tap into his own reservoir of desire.
"I saw this coming a mile away."
"Charlie, you've been a fixture in Heaven since the beginning, and you folded to a mere brat like this?"
"This isn't even worth my attention."
"There's always one of these types. Truly pathetic."
The crowd amplified their mockery, raining insults down on both Raon and Charlie.
"The stage is set."
Raon ignored Pisir and the onlookers entirely. He focused every ounce of his will on stifling his bloodlust for Derus, centering his mind.
"Set for what? You're already in the grave!"
Pisir let out a guttural war cry and launched a surge of sinister black mist. This was no longer a formal invitation; he was unleashing a wave of pure spite, intending to smother Raon with the weight of his own greed.
"In the grave?"
Raon’s lips curled into a sharp grin as he looked up. Azure flames erupted in his eyes as a terrifying, peerless desire surged from the depths of his blue pupils.
"What...?"
Pisir’s lips trembled as a sudden, cold realization hit him.
"W-wait, stop!"
His skin turned a sickly, pale shade as he watched the blue radiance shred through his own dark energy. The echoes of the demon kings' emotions, which Raon had set loose, swallowed Pisir whole, exerting a level of absolute desire that no mortal could ever hope to rival.
"Gaaaaahhh!"
Pisir emitted a jagged, agonizing shriek and crumpled to the ground like brittle wood. His hunched spine snapped straight from the sheer force of the agony, though it was doubtful he appreciated the correction.
"U-unbelievable..."
Charlie collapsed where he stood, his jaw shaking in terror. He had never imagined Raon could so effortlessly crush a man like Pisir.
"Huh...?"
"Pisir was beaten?"
"The rookie-slayer was consumed by a rookie..."
"I refuse to believe it! He must be using a trick!"
"Has such an event ever occurred in our history?"
The residents of Heaven watching in the marketplace were paralyzed, their mocking grins frozen on their faces as they struggled to process the impossible.
"Finished? No."
Raon scanned the rows of shocked prey, his eyes lingering on each one as his smile widened.
"This is merely the opening act."
"Ooh!"
Vayph let out a sharp cry of awe as he watched Raon dominate and conclude his first desire duel.
"Precisely as I thought. He does not fail to impress."
A wide, delighted smile spread across his face, buoyed by results that far outstripped his initial projections.
"Mortals possessing such potent desire from the start are a rarity; I made the right call bringing him here."
Vayph smacked his lips in profound contentment, proud of his choice to recruit Raon.
"Oh? And he's jumping straight into the next one?"
He gave a low whistle, observing Raon as he immediately readied himself for a second duel to the death.
"His talent for agitation is truly world-class."
Once again, Raon secured a second target simply by using his words. He shamelessly utilized the desire he had stripped from his first prey, Pisir, to overwhelm the desire of the second fool who dared to challenge him.
"Captivating."
Vayph chuckled, nodding as Raon systematically dismantled two veteran residents of Heaven in heartbeats.
"I wonder where on earth they unearthed a specimen like this."
The boy was a gem among all the humans he had encountered. Instead of merely treating him like cattle to be milked for desire, it might be worth grooming him into a significant vessel.
"I suppose I owe Kuanyu a bonus."
Lately, Kuanyu had been delivering several high-quality pieces besides the one named Zilfen, so rewarding him with a promotion to an administrator of Heaven seemed appropriate.
"Vayph."
As Vayph stood there smiling at Raon’s performance, a voice called out from behind him.
"Hmm."
Vayph’s expression soured as he turned. He scowled at the sight of a woman with snow-white skin, flaming scarlet hair, and piercing blue eyes.
"What do you want, Karipen."
Vayph’s voice dropped to a low, unfriendly rumble, clearly signaling his distaste for the woman.
"That mortal."
Karipen extended a finger, pointing toward Raon as he finished his second duel to the death. Like Vayph, she was an Angel, evidenced by the pristine white wings protruding from her back.
"You did perform a thorough background check, I assume?"
Karipen narrowed her gaze, her suspicion of Raon evident.
"You're talking out of your head."
Vayph looked down his nose at Karipen, a mocking smile touching his lips.
"As you are well aware, every cloud-land across the continent is protected by that person's barrier. Doubting my vetting is one thing, but doubting that person's protection is nothing short of treason."
He wrinkled his nose, challenging her to stand by her insinuation.
"Hmm..."
Karipen’s brow twitched, seemingly caught off guard by Vayph’s sharp retort.
"Ah? Is that what this is about?"
Vayph’s smile grew wide and oily.
"Seeing the cattle you brought get slaughtered by my new toy must have bruised your ego."
He clapped his hands together as if he had finally solved the mystery of her sudden appearance.
"That is not the case."
Karipen shook her head with a composed air, denying the accusation entirely.
"Like hell it isn't. You’ve always been sick with envy because I possess that person's confidence."
Vayph snorted, telling her to stop masquerading her transparent motives.
"There is no reasoning with you."
Karipen exhaled a brief, tired sigh.
"As long as the verification was sound, it matters not. That person's barrier is infallible."
She nodded as if her concerns were laid to rest and vanished in a flash of white radiance.
"You should watch your tongue in the future."
Vayph clicked his tongue, watching a single white feather drift to the floor where Karipen had stood.
"Because soon, you and I will no longer be on the same level."
He gazed down at the ground, his lips curling into a grin as he viewed Raon as the instrument that would fulfill his grandest ambitions.
"Not bad at all."
Raon licked his lips with satisfaction after absorbing the desires of five individuals in a single afternoon.
"Uhh..."
Charlie remained in a state of shock, staring at Raon with wide, unblinking eyes as he tried to reconcile the day's events.
"W-who are you, really?"
He swallowed hard, convinced that Raon could not possibly be a normal human being.
"Are you an Angel in disguise? Some high-ranking official hiding his power?"
He looked worried, suggesting that any other explanation defied logic.
-This place they call Heaven will be a pile of ash within the week.
Wrath breathed heavily, his gaze fixed on the stolen human desires Raon held in his grasp.
-To think the day would come where this king feels a shred of pity for the Angels...
He closed his eyes tight, already seeing the ruin of the Angels who had unbarred the gates of Heaven without realizing who they had actually invited inside.
"I don't need a title or a secret identity..."
Raon tilted his chin up with supreme arrogance, looking toward the sprawling mansions and the towers that pierced the clouds.
"Just keep one thing in mind: I am the man who will be the first to seize that sky."
